Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine which is gaining acceptance and efficacy in the Western World. A central theme of homeopathy is to select a remedy, from naturally occurring substances, that addresses an illness both at a physical as well as metaphysical or psychological level.
Edward Bach, an English physician and homeopath, developed a set of homeopathic remedies in the 1930's based on a very small amount of flower material or essence, in a 50:50 solution of water and brandy. These remedies, while extremely dilute and absent of any characteristic, scent or taste of the flower plants, have been used to treat a variety of conditions, ailments and illnesses. Further, consumers now look to flower essence remedies for proactively maintaining a healthy state or positive outlook.
One of the most popular of these remedies is known as the Rescue Remedy: a combination of an equal amount of each of Rock rose, Impatiens, Clematis, Star of Bethlehem and Cherry Plum for the flower essence component, mixed with water and an alcohol-based dilution agent. This solution is targeted toward stress, anxiety and panic. Several companies produce similar solutions using several of the same flower essences. Such remedies and other flower essence solutions are typically administered orally as a spray or as a concentrate in the form of several drops of the solution, and are not provided with a sufficient diluent to hydrate a consumer of the product.
Consumers of flower essence remedies, however, are closely aligned with an explosive growth in the bottled water and energy drinks market. The former market may focus on brand development, in which each of the various branded bottled water vendors seeks an advantage—from exotic locations to the mineral or carbonation content of their water. The latter market typically involves water that is sweetened with one or more of a variety of sweeteners, and having vitamins, minerals or other plant-based substance as an additive. However, there currently is no known drink for human consumption that relies on a set of flower essences such as the list of essences identified by Dr. Bach, and which can also hydrate a consumer.